DM: RE: data mining skeptics

[osborn]

Tjen-Sien Lim asks:

        > I'm wondering what you'd say to people who are 
        > skeptical or even cynical toward data mining. I've 
        > just met people who really dislike data mining and
        > predict that the entire field won't last long. Since
        > they're beyond my league, I couldn't convince
        > them that data mining is a real field and won't vanish. 
        > Thanks.

They can be "in a different universe" for several different
reasons. 

[1] They may come from an organisation where
quantitative/model information has almost no input into
decision making and planning (beyond accounting).

[2] They may have been burnt by AI hype. Or are
trying to avoid your approach for consulting work...
There is still a lot of hype out there!!!

[3] They may be a stuck record repeating the
phrase, "I tell you, it can't be done". And may or
may not be willing to be proved wrong. [Think
"religion" rather than "technology"].

[4] They may be the wrong person [too stupid,
too much invested in established 'solutions',
too lazy, too loud, too paranoid, ...].

[5] They may be already doing it under a
different name, and not so automatically...

[6] They may not want to waste time and money...

If you want to make progress with DM credibility,
look to intelligent, open-minded people who
have already solved a few problems with novelty.

T.
Dr Tom Osborn
Director of Modelling
NTF
Level 7, 1 York Street
SYDNEY NSW 2000
AUSTRALIA
phone:  +61 2 9252 0600
fax:    +61 2 9251 9894



> -----Original Message-----
> From: Tjen-Sien Lim [SMTP:limt@stat.wisc.edu]
> Sent: Sunday, 15 August 1999 10:07
> To:   datamine-l@nautilus-sys.com
> Subject:      DM: data mining skeptics
> 
> -- 
> Tjen-Sien Lim                (608) 262-8181 (Voice)
> Dept. of Statistics          (209) 882-7914 (Fax)
> Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison   limt@stat.wisc.edu
> 1210 West Dayton Street      http://www.stat.wisc.edu/~limt
> Madison, WI 53706
> 
> 
> P.S. My apology if this is a stupid question.